Fun question: What kind of animal reader are YOU?

Sonia Simone from copyblogger revisited the 4 Mind Styles Model and attributed each category to an animal rather than their scientific, but somewhat abstract, terms. A bit further down, you will meet cats, dogs, rats, and monkeys.

The 4 Mind Styles Model is based on the idea that our way of thinking, learning, or processing information can be divided into 4 distinct styles. We all have our preferred style which influences how we do things and how well we get along with each other.

We're not talking about VARK which also has 4 categories (distinguishing Visual, Aural, Read/write, and Kinesthetic sensory learners), in case you're wondering. So what is this about?

I don't usually write or publish full blog posts on LinkedIn, but I'd like you to pick your animal in the end. And to do that, you need at least a bit of background information. Even a quick overview blows the 1,300 characters for a regular post completely out of the water. So I can't keep it as short as I'd like, but at least I get to use some formatting, yay!

Let's meet the zoo

Now that Sonia Simone put some fun animal faces on the different categories, they get more relatable and also more memorable. I'm sure you can list our furry friends by the end of this post while the scientific names might be less natural to grasp.

Concrete, Abstract, Sequential and Random in different combinations, anyone? So let's get to our first category.

Cats (scientific term: Concrete-Random)

Cats like to experiment, are hands-on risk-takers and learn from the process. They can be highly competitive and prefer to work through problems on their own. Routine and repetition bore them to death.

So when cats read something, they need to know that this is worth their time. If they don't see any value for themselves, you won't see them again any time soon.

Dogs (scientific term: Concrete-Sequential)

In contrast to cats, dogs don't mind repetitious work. Open-ended questions, a lack of structure and disorganized people, on the other hand, will get at least an inner growl. Dogs can be exceptional task-masters as long as they know exactly what is expected.

To charm dog readers, Real-life stories and tangible examples are the best way to go. Dogs don't care about abstract ideas, so practical step-by-step illustrations and exercises are good value to them.

Rats (scientific term: Abstract-Sequential)

Rats, like cats, don't care for tedious or repetitive work. Logic, fact, and expediency are crucial to them. They thrive in stimulating environments and value expert opinions. When it comes to communicating with others, they may not always be tactful.

Rats are analytical and structured thinkers, so the material they read needs to be logical and contain verifiable facts. They have no interest whatsoever in superficial content. The higher the renowned expert-level of the author, the better.

Monkeys (scientific term: Abstract-Random)

Monkeys really are the most social animals in our groups. They truly enjoy teamwork and shy away from competition. Dictatorial leaders and unfriendly people won't get any bananas, either. Focusing on one thing at a time can be complicated for the playful monkey and even constructive criticism can hurt their feelings.

Monkey readers are the most likely to interact with content just for the fun of it. Imaginative, communicating and spontaneous, they particularly enjoy the social part of social media.

Can you guess which animal you are?

Below you will find a table with words that resonate with the different types

For each line, you choose 2 words that appeal to you most. For example, in line 1 we have Investigative - Realistic - Analytical - Imaginative. If out of these 4 words "realistic" describes you best, then you get a dog quality for the first line. If you also think your "investigative", you get a cat point as well.

Do this for each line and sum up how many cats, dogs, rats, and monkeys you got. Then you multiply each individual animal sum by 4. For example, if you got 6 dog qualities x 4 = 24

This allows you to see which animal-category you fit in. Your answers will probably be a mixture of all 4 categories, but their distribution will differ. You'll likely have 1 or 2 "winners" in the end.

This little exercise is even more fun when you guess the outcome first (according to the descriptions you read above). When I did my research on this article I immediately thought "Yep, I'm pretty sure I'm a rat".

Can you guess right for yourself?

As it turns out, I really am a slightly doggy rat - which means I'm definitely not random :) (remember, concrete - abstract - sequential - random). I even took a blind test, so there was no cheating. And some words are so close to each other that it can't just be confirmation bias either...

How does this zoo fit in the LinkedIn environment?

If you are aware of the different thinking styles of your employees, colleagues or clients, it is much easier to find the right way of communicating with them.

When you know that someone is a dog, for example, you also know that it is better to give them clear instructions and step-by-step guides so they can do their best job. 

However, if you were talking to a cat that would be exactly the wrong thing to do. Knowing your animals can improve relationships and lead to better results thanks to more effective communication.

This model also plays a role in marketing. You can create your content either to touch as many different groups as possible in one piece of communication or tailor it to the 1 or 2 groups you want to address in particular.

So this little exercise is not only fun but can also improve communication, employee satisfaction and results.

What kind of animal(s) do you think you are? Did you guess correctly? If you comment below, that would be great.

Should you feel uncomfortable sharing your animals, you can, of course, keep it a secret. Let's see how many animals we get - but the more, the merrier!

Have a great week!